Drive #2
Pocahontas, AR to Outer Banks, NC
Distance ~ 1,050 miles
We had grand plans to take our time on the next leg, but a series of unfortunate events in Austin before we left meant a delayed start and that we had to book it to our next locale: the Outer Banks of North Carolina. So we put in some hard miles, and 16 hours later we pulled into a campsite at 11:00 at night at Goose Creek State Park. The plan was to take the Swanquarter Ferry at 7:00 a.m. to Ocracoke Island, a very quaint historically preserved island on the south side of the barrier island. That plan hit the rocks when we woke up at 6:00 a.m. only to realize my phone had never changed to Eastern time. So we took the scenic drive around.
Roanoke Island is the first stop on the southernmost bridge to the Outer Banks. Roanoke was long inhabited by the Algonquian people before being colonized by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585. During the Civil War the island was taken over by Union troops, which resulted in an influx of slaves from the south coming to the island for unofficial freedom. In 1863 a Freedman's colony was eventually established by the army, and land (without title) was given to the freedmen to cultivate. Right after the Civil War however, the Union forts closed down and land went back to the previous Confederate title holders prompting a majority of the black residents to leave the island.
Hudson's first glance of the Atlantic! In the Swanquarter Nature Reserve. When we were driving through this swamp reserve, we saw two black bears running across the road! We had no idea what they were at first because it was hard to believe there were black bears in a soggy swamp with no trees, but the man at the visitor's center confirmed that that area had the largest concentration of black bears in NC!
The impetus behind going to the Outer Banks in the first place was due to Will Shoaf's amazingly persuasive powers. Shoaf and I have worked together at Kealing since the beginning of my teaching career and, in addition to being an amazing compatriot of spreading knowledge about the world to kids, is also a dear friend. The house we stayed in with him and his wife Katie (who I also worked with at Kealing the first year I worked there; they met there you see) was built by Shoaf's grandfather in the 1970's. Shoaf grew up going to this house every summer of his life. It's a special thing when someone connects so deeply to a place, and the Outer Banks are in Will's blood. His dad now owns the house, and there are wall to wall pictures of Shoaf and family documenting all the awkward and adorable stages of his life, mostly involving baseball and fishing. I even saved a few for work blackmail purposes.
The first night we were there he prepared fried soft shell crabs for us, an Outer Banks delicacy! They were delicious, once you wrapped your head around the fact that you were eating the whole thing, claws, shell, and all. Fresh mahi mahi and tuna, caught by his family members just days before, were the other tasty local fare we enjoyed.
Katie, Hudson, and I chillin' on the beach. Pea Island Reserve is a protected seashore along the eastern side of the OB. People drive their cars right onto the beach (protected?) and set up camp. We had a huge stretch of beach to ourselves for the entire afternoon.
The "protected" aspect comes from little plastic tape marking off areas of endangered bird nesting on the beach. We came across one such bird, the Piping Plover, outside the nesting area. I'm proud to say that Hudson did not eat it!
Our sweet beach set up. Though there had been 6 recent bull shark attacks on the nearby coast (the nearest one being just days before about 5 miles south of where we were), we came away unscathed. Mike's dips in the ocean were measurably shorter than usual however.
We had a few hours to burn the first day we got there, so we decided to go to Jockey's Ridge State Park, a sand dune right next to Shoaf's house. Hang gliding was a popular activity there, and we joked around that we were going to have to find healthy extracurricular activities for Hudson to replace cat chasing.
Turns out Hudson hates sand dunes almost as much as I do!
Thanks to all the Shoaf's (Sr, Jr, and Ms.) for the food, fun, and stellar start to our vacation!!
